asked 93.6k views
3 votes
Ms. Franco has 64 pencils and 48 erasers. She wants to put an equal number of pencils and erasers into boxes for her students. What is the GREATEST number of pencils or erasers Ms. Franco can put in each box?

asked
User Nourish
by
9.0k points

1 Answer

3 votes

To determine the greatest number of pencils or erasers that Ms. Franco can put in each box, we need to find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the given numbers, 64 and 48.

The GCD represents the largest number that can evenly divide both 64 and 48. By finding the GCD, we can determine the maximum number of pencils and erasers that can be distributed equally into each box.

To find the GCD, we can use the Euclidean algorithm:

1. Divide the larger number (64) by the smaller number (48).

- 64 ÷ 48 = 1 remainder 16

2. Divide the previous divisor (48) by the remainder (16).

- 48 ÷ 16 = 3 remainder 0

3. The GCD is the divisor from the last step, which is 16.

Therefore, the greatest number of pencils or erasers that Ms. Franco can put in each box is 16.

Hoped this helped you understand :D

answered
User Thomas Goyne
by
8.1k points
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